Throw in a premium rotomolded build with excellent ice retention and a variety of fun features like optional cup holders and a side prepping board, and this cooler is as fun and functional as anything on the market. But, impressive cooling properties aside, the Coleman 316 Series Insulated Portable Cooler is a must-have for its durable, portable, and functional design. Equipped coleman screen tent with two sturdy back wheels and a tow handle, the cooler is made for easy transporting, whether you’re headed to the campground, the beach, a tailgate, or a backyard party. The 80 can-capacity (which translates to about 50 pounds of ice) cooler also has a leak-proof construction that features a handy tethered drain plug, as well as a stain-resistant liner for easy clean-up.
It wasn’t a major issue, but it also wasn’t a reassuring thing to see on a cooler. Nothing broke, and we could simply press it back into place, but each time we did this it got noticeably looser. By the end of our testing, it had loosened to the point that simply lifting on the handle was enough to pop the lid open, making the latch coleman sundome essentially useless. We liked that the BMX wasn’t as heavy and bulky as the Yeti and RTIC. The top handle made the cooler easy for just one person to carry, even when it was fully loaded. The rubber gasket and rubber feet weren’t quite as securely attached, and we felt that both could have been pried off with some effort.
With a price tag that’s still well into the triple digits, the RTIC 45 didn’t quite make the cut for our Best Value award. Still, if that Yeti price tag is pushing your budget, this is a top cooler for camping that’s nearly as good as our Top Pick for much less money. RTIC makes a rotomolded cooler very similar in design to the Yeti Tundra but with a noticeably lower price tag. As far as durability, there isn’t much on this cooler that can break. With the rotomolded design, it’s essentially two large pieces joined together by a heavy-duty hinge at the back — which we don’t think we could break if we tried. Since dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide, it passes directly from a solid to a gaseous state, meaning no water to deal with as it melts.
In other cases, you can spend far less without a substantial drop in overall performance. It’s also helpful to consider how often you find yourself needing the cooling and insulating services these ice chests provide and how burly and rugged you need your gear to be. For soft coolers, we recommend anything in the 20- to 24-can range.
It also weighs less by a significant margin, which adds to its portability. The Roadie 24 has a flexible webbing strap that more comfortably facilitates an over-the-forearm carry. It also has a pair of indented handles hiding underneath both sides of the top for two-handed carry. The Pelican 20 isn’t very enjoyable to carry, with a hard plastic top handle and a tall, gangly shape with too many rigid edges that smacked our legs and ankles as we walked. We also considered the overall shape and size of each competitor as part of its usability score. Models featuring a compact, packable shape and handles that hide away easily are easier to pack into a vehicle for your next adventure.
But with care, you can extend the lifespan of any soft cooler—the number one rule seems to be not to leave it out in the sun. We used these coolers as much as possible on our car camping trips, day trips, and cookouts for over a month to see how they held up to real-world use. We filled each cooler with 20 lbs of ice and left them outside in temperatures topping 90 degrees. After 48 hours, we measured the volume of liquid that drained out of each cooler to determine how much ice remained.